Eight Yangtze River finless porpoises have been relocated to the Xijiang River Porpoise Reserve in Anqing, Anhui province, in a bid to better protect the species, which is threatened with extinction.

Six of the porpoises relocated on Thursday used to live in the mainstream of the Yangtze River, while the other two were in a lake in neighboring Hubei province.

The eight finless porpoises, so called because they lack dorsal fins, will mingle with seven porpoises already at the Xijiang reserve to improve the genes of the species, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.